Bought the car because I fell in love with it since I test drove it. Fantastic interior, excellent performance and suspension overall. Have owned this car for 4yrs now. Bought it with 20,000 miles. First year car ran like a champ no issues what so ever. Then came second year of ownership and everything went down hill after the warranty expired three months before. Water pump failure, $1,500 fix. Six months later water pump failed again. I though the mechanics were idiots and did not know what they were doing until it failed again a year later. Anyhow, I've had four water pumps replaced in three years. Intake manifold failed twice, PCV valve failure and of course fuel pump failure which are all "common" problems due to poor engineering according to dealer. Constant oil leak until I had to have valve cover gasket redone. Oh yes, rear main seal failed at 40,000. The car has 50,675 miles at the time of this review. Great car when it runs but I have spent more money on repairs for this car than the maintenance work done on my two previous vehicles combined.

While visiting my sister, we went to a Mercedes dealer and looked at a C300 that she was interested in. She was trading in her old Mercedes and felt that 'there's nothing like a Mercedes'. There was a VW dealer down the block from Mercedes, and since I've always wanted to look at a VW CC, we went down the street to check it out. Our first impression was "wow"! We took one out for a test drive and that was it. She got a new CC Sport and I bought a used 2009 Lux ltd. We both couldn't be happier. The cars ride and handling are well controlled and very comfortable. Interior and exterior are beautifully done. Yahoo, it's fun to drive again!!!

I have a 2009 CC with the 2.0 and a 6 speed manual. It has a beautiful car to drive over 40K miles, BUT, it is a female dog to maintain. Just before it went out of warranty, the dealer where I take it for service (not where I bought it) replaced both the clutch pedal assembly and the intake manifold under warranty. Since then the clutch pedal has come loose twice. I just took it in for the 40K service. The service mgr said it's supposed to be loose like that. It was not loose before replace, and they tightened it once after service. Which brings me to the 40K service. VW covers service through 30K. At 40K they make it up with a $400 plus service charge. Lease don't buy it.

Torque is very much evident from a standstill. The ESP launch was nearly as good as my ESP-off launch, showing some pretty sophisticated tuning. Engine makes a strange, almost inline-5 note at wide-open throttle. Shifts are what I'd call smooth rather than quick. Good quarter-mile speeds of nearly 100 mph.

Braking rating

Good

Braking comments

Plenty of dive, but also plenty of power from the soft pedal. Travel was a bit long for my taste, but there was little fade. Not the brakes of a "sport sedan" but those of a sporty sedan.

Handling rating

Good

Handling comments

On skid pad, the CC displays uncommon (for FWD-based cars) balance and an ability to steer with only the throttle. Absolutely zero correction with the wheel itself. Rather than shuddering/squealing understeer, it merely goes slightly wide of circle. Lifting of the throttle tucks the nose back in neatly and predictably. ESP is not fully off. The exemplary skid pad didn't translate directly into an above-average slalom, where ESP responses subdued a good run. Steering wasn't very talkative or direct. Lazy turn-in and suddenly it felt long and limolike. Good, just not great.